Samsung Galaxy Note 10 release date, specs, price and rumors

Image Source: Samsung.com (screenshot)

Oct 18, 2018 – Update: Gone are the days when Samsung used to begin the development of its flagship phones just six months before unveiling them to the public. After the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco, Samsung now takes 10-12 months developing a new flagship to ensure that it doesn’t find itself into another Note 7-like debacle. According to Korean site The Bell, Samsung began developing the Note 10 last month, about a year before the expected Galaxy Note 10 release date.

Note 10 to get a monstrous display

The current Galaxy Note 9 sports a giant 6.44-inch display, which is marketed as 6.4-inch. In contrast, Apple’s new iPhone XS Max has a 6.46-inch screen advertised as a 6.5-inch screen. The Galaxy Note line is synonymous with giant screens. So, the Korean company has informed its display arm Samsung Display to make 6.66-inch Super AMOLED Infinity screens for the Galaxy Note 10. It means the Note 10 screen will be even larger than iPhone XS Max.

The current Note 9’s 6.44-inch screen size will be seen on the next year’s Galaxy S10, sources told The Bell. You may argue that the Galaxy Note 10 release date is still about a year away and things could change between now and then. Of course, many of them could but the screen size won’t, one insider told the publication. It’s rare for Samsung to change the display size after it has been decided, though other specs could change during the development phase.

It’s not yet known whether Samsung will increase the phone’s size to accommodate the larger display or further reduce the bezels. Considering Samsung’s focus on making the top and bottom bezels slimmer, it would keep the form factor similar to the Note 9 while minimizing the bezels to make room for the larger screen. The Note 10 is unlikely to adopt the display notch.

Galaxy Note 10 could ditch the headphone jack

Another Korean site ETNewsreported recently that Samsung was planning to remove the 3.5mm headphone jack from the Galaxy Note 10 or Galaxy S11. Samsung is one of those companies that have so far resisted the temptation to kill the traditional audio jack. The removal of the headphone jack in 2019 won’t cause as much consumer uproar as it did when Apple removed the feature from iPhone 7 a couple of years ago. Most people have become used to dongles and wireless headphones now.

Etnews said that Samsung is considering canceling the 3.5mm headphone jack on the Galaxy Note10 or Galaxy S11. Do you need 3.5mm headphone jack ? pic.twitter.com/ovMU6IXrlF

It’s not yet known why Samsung is removing the audio jack. Dropping the jack could free up some internal space that could be used to pack a bigger battery or accommodate new components. A flagship phone without the headphone jack could also help boost the sales of Samsung’s wireless headphones. The worldwide wireless headphone shipment is expected to skyrocket from 51.9 million units in 2017 to 73.9 million units in 2019, according to Strategy Analytics.

What does Galaxy Note 10 code-name tell us about the phablet?

According to Korean media, Samsung is developing Galaxy Note 10 under the code-name ‘Da Vinci.’ The code-names often shed light on Samsung’s flagship phones. For instance, the Galaxy Note 9 was internally known as ‘Crown,’ and it lived up to its code-name with a gorgeous display, powerful performance, incredible dual cameras, and a major S Pen upgrade.

Leonardo Da Vinci was most well-known for his art, indicating that the Note 10 could be aimed at creative professionals. It would mean upgrading the S Pen stylus with even more capabilities to make it useful for the creative folks. The S Pen received a major upgrade this year, and it doesn’t get such big changes every year. So, the next year’s S Pen is unlikely to be big on upgrades.

We know that Leonardo Da Vinci was also a man of many talents. If you take that as a reference, the Note 10 could be the most versatile smartphone to come out of Samsung’s stable. It could be suitable for business users, gamers, and creative professionals at the same time. Samsung has already added many gaming related features in this year’s Galaxy Note 9. The Note 10 could take things a step further in that direction. Given the phone is still a long time away, we can’t yet pinpoint the specific Galaxy Note 10 release date.

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Samsung has just launched the Galaxy Note 9, which is basically a slightly improved version of Galaxy S9 Plus with a stylus. The Note 9 is the last flagship of 2018 from Samsung’s stable. The Korean company is now fully focused on the next year’s Galaxy S10, the foldable Galaxy F, and the Galaxy Note 10. The Galaxy Note 10 release date is about a year away, while the other two models are expected to debut in the first half of 2019. Let’s take a look at the rumored Galaxy Note 10 release date, design, features, and specs.

Galaxy Note 10 release date

In the last few years, Samsung has unveiled new Galaxy Note phablets in August, and the company is expected to continue the tradition next year. There is a slight possibility that the foldable Galaxy F could force Samsung to change the launch schedules of the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note lines, but it’s unlikely to happen in 2019.

Twitter tipster Ice Universe has revealed that the Galaxy F would debut at the CES in January 2019, and the S10 would be unveiled at the MWC. It means there is little reason for Samsung to change the Galaxy Note 10 release date timeline. Last year’s Galaxy Note 8 debuted on August 23 while the latest Galaxy Note 9 was unveiled on August 9th. The Galaxy Note 10 release date should also be in August. It could go on sale in late August or early September.

Design and display

The Galaxy Note 9 boasts a great design and the world’s best smartphone display. But Samsung has kept the same form factor and similar displays for a long time. We expect the Galaxy Note 10 to have a new design and a more innovative display. The rumor mill claims that next year’s Galaxy S10 and S10 Plus will get a new design to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Samsung’s flagship S series. And it’s no secret that the Note series borrows design elements from the Galaxy S handsets that arrive a few months prior.

Not much is known about the display, but Twitter leaker Ice Universe has learned from supply chain sources that the Galaxy S10 would have a screen-to-body ratio of 94%. That’s significantly higher than Galaxy S9’s 83.6%. We expect the Note 10’s screen-to-body ratio to be at least as much as Galaxy S10, if not higher. Samsung doesn’t want to adapt the display notch, but it could slim the top and bottom bezels further to expand the display area.

Samsung recently patented a self-healing material that will allow the screen to heal itself after scratches. If the company incorporates this technology in the Note 10, it will eliminate the need for screen protectors.

An ultrasonic fingerprint sensor

This is not a rumor. It’s almost certain. DJ Koh, head of Samsung’s mobile business, said last month during an event in China that Samsung would offer an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor on the Galaxy S10. Koh added that the ultrasonic sensors are faster and more secure than the optical fingerprint sensors. Another Samsung executive, Guo Minghao, present at the event said the same ultrasonic fingerprint sensors would be used in the Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy A series smartphones coming later in 2019.

The ultrasonic fingerprint scanners could allow the entire display to work as a fingerprint reader, and they work even when the screen is dirty. According to Korean media, Qualcomm will supply the ultrasonic sensors for Samsung’s 2019 flagships. TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicts Samsung will produce about 60 million smartphones with the ultrasonic fingerprint sensors in 2019. Approximately 12-14 million of them will be the Galaxy Note 10 units.

Insanely fast 5G support

It’s no secret that the Korean and US wireless carriers would start rolling out 5G services in the first half of 2019. Smartphone vendors including Samsung want to be fully prepared to take full advantage of the 5G buzz. Business Korea has reported that the Galaxy S10 would be among the first devices to offer the 5G technology. If the Galaxy S10 gets the feature, there is no reason to believe that the Note 10 won’t.

Qualcomm has announced that it has started sampling its next-gen 7nm chips (likely to be called Snapdragon 855) to customers. The Snapdragon 855 would power the US variant of Samsung’s 2019 flagship smartphones. Qualcomm added that its 7nm chips would be paired with the Snapdragon X50 5G modem. Given the long-time relationship between Samsung and Qualcomm, the Korean company would be among the first to get the 5G modems. With the Galaxy Note 9 release date a year away, the two companies have plenty of time to fix any issues related to the modems.

Note 10 to have five cameras

Many Samsung fans were disappointed that the Galaxy Note 9 launched without triple camera system on the back. Huawei’s P20 Pro sports triple cameras, and LG’s upcoming V40 ThinQ is also said to have three cameras on the back and two on the front. Fortunately, Samsung will catch up with its rivals in 2019. According to AllAboutSamsung, the Galaxy S10 Plus would have dual cameras on the front and three cameras on the back. And the Note 10 could borrow this feature as well from the Galaxy S10 Plus.

According to AllAboutSamsung, the front camera setup would consist of a 16MP ultra wide-angle lens and a 12MP main sensor. On the back, there would be a 12MP lens with variable apertures, a 16MP ultra wide-angle lens, and a 13MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom. We also expect the Note 10 camera to be loaded with AI capabilities and HDR video shooting.

Galaxy Note 10 expected price

If the latest Galaxy Note 9 prices are any indication, the Note 10 should cost upward of $1,000. Since the launch of the iPhone X, ultra-premium smartphones with a thousand dollars price tag have become the new norm. Samsung is unlikely to reduce the Note 10 prices compared to the Note 9, which costs $1,000 for the 6GB RAM model and $1,250 for the 8GB RAM variant.

It’s worth pointing out that the Galaxy Note 10 release date is about a year away and a lot could change in that timeframe.